<br><div class="gmail_quote">On May 29, 2009, Varun Rapelly <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:varun.rapelly@spectross.com">varun.rapelly@spectross.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
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<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Hi,<br><br>I am
a newbie to Asterisk; need help understanding three-way conferencing &
<br>call-transfer features implemented over standard extensions i.e. on a
<br>TDM800P card (4 FXO + 4FXS)<br><br>In Asterisk I have observed that if an
extension is already participating in <br>an active call (e.g. Ext A & Ext B
communicating):<br><br>1. An incoming call to one of these active extensions
would be presented <br>with call-wait beeps (e.g. Ext A receives call-wait beeps
as Ext C is <br>attempting to call Ext A).<br><br>2. The call waiting may be
answered by pressing Hook-Flash, placing the <br>previously active call on hold
(e.g. C answered; A & C communicate; B placed <br>on hold).<br><br>3. The
calls could be toggled by subsequent Hook-Flash's (e.g. A & B
<br>communicate; C placed on hold).<br></font></font></div></font></div></div></blockquote><div><br>Yes, this is normal behaviour on pretty much every analogue PBX or telco switch. <br><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff"><div><font face="Arial" size="2"><div><font face="Arial" size="2"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><br>Queries:<br>1. If the extension which
received call-wait beeps hangs-up then the call <br>waiting/the call placed on
hold returns as a new call. I was expecting the <br>call to be transferred (A
hangs-up, B & C communicate), how could the call <br>be transferred? I
expected this feature to be available in Asterisk as this <br>is a very normal
feature available on any PBX and used extensively in Call
<br>Transfer.<br></font></font></div></font></div></div></blockquote><div><br>When you transfer a call, the person initiating the transfer has to be MAKING a call. Example: Ext A receives a call from Ext B. Ext A wants to transfer the call to Ext C. Ext A puts the first call on hold with a hook flash, dials Ext C, then either waits for the Ext C to answer and announces the transfer (e.g. an attended transfer) OR simply hangs up as soon as the call to Ext C starts ringing (e.g. an un-attended or blind transfer). <br>
<br>The behaviour you explain is not something available on any switch that I am aware of, and would be highly problematic if it were. If this "feature" were available, you could get a circumstance where two people who are calling you end up being bridged together on a call, unknown to you. As a bad example, your wife and your girlfriend end up talking to each other because you hung up while one of them call-waited you while you were talking to the other. <br>
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2. How could the extension that received call-wait beeps
initiate a <br>three-way conference with the other extensions (A, B & C in
three-way <br>conference)? I expected this feature to be available in Asterisk
as this is <br>a very normal feature available on any PBX and used extensively
in 3-way <br>Call Conference.<br></font></font></div></font></div></div></blockquote><div> <br>Again, this is NOT a feature available on any analogue PBX that I am aware of. If it were, this would, again, mean that you may get unwanted parties connected together. With the above example, you answer your girlfriend's call while talking to your wife, and all three of you end up in the same conference. <br>
<br>Unfortunately, POTS lines do not handle transfering multiple inbound calls very well (with call waiting). This is not an Asterisk issue, POTS lines were not designed to do anything other than handle a single call at a time. You may be able to handle transfering a call-waited call with DTMF signalling. I am certain someone else on the list will be able to give you a definitive answer on that. <br>
<br><br>Sincerely,<br>Trevor Hammonds<br><br></div></div>